Victor Ezeja
A shop in Ikota Shopping Complex belonging to Dr. Helen Eto, CEO, Superior Mobile Investment Ltd and iClick Gadgets was earlier this month broken into by hoodlums who stole ₦30 million worth of goods.
Dr Eto is said to have been doing business peacefully at the Ikota Shopping Complex which borders Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lekki Peninsula, Lagos.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe shopping facility, that has about 1,850 shops, run by HFP Engineering Ltd, was invaded by robbers in the early hours of March 7th, 2023, despite the presence security guards.
Finesse Security Ltd guards claimed that they forgot to lock the gate of the facility, allowing the hoodlums to cart away about N30 million phones and other goods from Mrs. Eto’s freshly restocked shop.
The owners have in the meantime, reported the security firm to police for proper investigations into what happened.
The woman who is the wife of Omokioja Julius Eto, Chairman, Editorial Board of The Daily Times, while lamenting her ordeal to the police in Ajah and Panti, Yaba said: “We took bank loans for the business plus our life savings all of which are gone. This is a wicked plan against us in our old age with children still in school, other dependants and various bills.
“We plead that the police should help us to get to the bottom of the looting to save us from early deaths as our BPs have shot up sharply because this is our main source of livelihood. A list of the goods looted from the shop was/is attached to my statements at Ajah Police Station and SIB, Yaba.
Mr Eto, who corroborated his wife’s account of the incident, .expressed shock at how the hoodlums beat security in the shopping complex and succeeded in stealing huge quantity of goods, in the shopping facility.
“The robbery is shocking because the security gate is inaccessible even to shop owners at night, our shop is just a stone’s throw from the gate and it would have taken about at least two hours to cut through the shop’s security system.
“This makes us to strongly see the guards as the main suspects. We were not immediately notified by the security firm or the facility managers (HFP) of the robbery which we only got to be aware of at about 8.20am through one of our employees,” he stated.
“Since the break-in on March 7 till today March 30, Finesse Security Ltd has not called to sympathize with us but has been evading our calls and texts to its MD whom we learnt travelled abroad after the robbery.
“We have been doing everything to support the police investigation despite our predicament and hope they will bring the culprits to justice,” Mr Etoo stated
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
